Home school is all about options.
Options for personalised learning. Options to explore — or exceed — a curriculum. Options for travel, religious freedom, managing special needs, or bullying.
Best of all — home school is about options for students to learn at a pace that suits them.
Home education is gaining in popularity. But, some home school parents still have a niggling thought — what will their student do after study ends?
There’s no need to worry.
Different approaches to home schooling can have different outcomes after school.
This article is a quick look at the difference between home school and distance education to help parents and students understand some of their options.
You’ll learn where Registered VET providers like LearnMe can fit in to your home school plan.
We’ll briefly explain:
- Home School Registration
- Distance Education; and
- VET (Vocational Education and Training)
If you have any questions — (which we’re sure you do!) — please contact the unit responsible for home school registration in your state.
(There’s a full list in the section below.)
There are also plenty of home school Bloggers and Instagrammers out there to help inspire and inform you.
If you’re a home schooler looking for an I.T. (ICT course), LearnMe has no intake dates — so students can start any time.
Phone 1300 859 094 or email admin@learnme.edu.au.
Home Schooling in Australia
Home education (homeschooling) is legal in all states and territories of Australia.
But, it is a legal requirement to register with the appropriate unit or department.
Registration means that if a student chooses to move into a regular school at some time in the future, the school will have an idea which year level to assess the student for enrollment.
Each state and territory in Australia has its own Education Act — and a ‘unit’ or ‘department’ that handles registration for home schooled students.
Here’s a full list of home education departments state by state:
Queensland – HEU
Home Education Unit – Education Queensland
New South Wales – NESA
Home Schooling Unit, NESA
(NSW Education Standards Authority)
ACT – The Directorate
ACT Education Directorate
Go the ‘the Directorate’ website
Victoria – VRQA
Victorian Registration & Qualifications Authority
South Australia
Department for Education – South Australia
Northern Territory
Northern Territory (NT) Department of Education
Western Australia – DET
Department f Education
Tasmania
Office of the Education Registrar
Parents who home school accept all responsibility for their child’s learning.
Many support groups — and free or paid resources — are available to help online.
For example, digital teaching and learning content are available on websites like Scootle and Twinkl.
There are also external options to enhance home learning like:
- VET (Vocational Education and Training)
- Traineeships and Apprenticeships
For more information about preparing an application for home school registration, please find your state’s link in the list above.
Distance Education
Distance education is different to home schooling.
Distance education still lets students study at home — but the student is enrolled with a school that provides the curriculum.
Some states also have independent distance education providers that supply a curriculum to state standards.
For many students, distance education offers ‘the best of both worlds’.
Students still learn in a home environment and gain high school ‘points’ towards a secondary graduation certificate (QCE, HSC, VCE etc.). But, Distance Education students can also choose subjects that meet the requirements to gain them an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) if they plan on going to uni straight after school.
Home school students can still get into uni too — by using alternative pathways.
If students choose ‘home schooling’ rather than ‘distance education’, there are options like TAFE to university, enabling courses, bridging courses — and STAT (Standard Tertiary Admissions Test).
VET approved training courses like LearnMe’s Certificate III in Information, Digital Media and Technology help students gain ‘high school points’, but not an ATAR.
We give students exposure to industry skills that they may want to explore and develop more.
Our courses also means parents don’t have to become “I.T. experts” — as well as “teaching experts”. (A load off!)
In some states, students need to register a learning account with the body that issues secondary school certificates to have their ‘high school points’ recorded (e.g. QCAA in Queensland).
For more info on high school “points” and ATAR, see our article ‘Points’ to Graduate High School Explained or talk to the unit responsible for ‘high school certificates’ in your state.
VET Courses – Study at Home for ‘Grade 12 Points’
Home school students who show an aptitude for technology can benefit from Cert II or Cert III studies in I.T. with Registered VET Providers like LearnMe.
Students get a ‘feel’ for the I.T. industry — and gain confidence to pursue career pathways like a traineeship, TAFE or uni.
They also get used to the ‘online learning format’, which universities often use to replace face-to-face classes.
The same can be said if students go to a traditional school. Students can study I.T. online with LearnMe, and still gain ‘high school points’ and real-world skills.
LearnMe’s prices for I.T. (ICT) courses are some of the most competitive you’ll find.
We offer a full ‘online study format’, with student support available by phone or email.
For more info on homeschooling, websites like Fearless Home School are a great place to start, and are packed with helpful information.
LearnMe also talks to VET Coordinators, Student Pathway Coordinators, and home school parents regularly.
Our courses have no intake dates. Students can start any time.
Get in touch with LearnMe using Messenger for a quick call-back.
Phone – 1300 859 094
Email – info@learnme.edu.au
